Philadelphia, PA

Philadelphia's zoning code bans surface parking spaces, detached garages, and carports in any required front yard citywide, while still allowing driveways to cross the front yard…

When the Emergency Coordinator declares a Snow Emergency, no vehicle, trailer, dumpster or other object may be parked, left stalled or unattended on any posted Snow Emergency Route…

Philadelphia Code 12-901(3) bars parking a commercial vehicle on any street within 100 feet of residential property from 6 PM to 6 AM (except active loading/unloading), and Code…

City Council designates residential permit parking districts by ordinance after weighing curbside-parking hardship on residents.

Philadelphia's Parking Authority runs sensor-equipped 'smart loading zones' on stretches of Walnut, Sansom, and Chestnut Streets, charging ten cents a minute with a one-hour cap and…

Philadelphia runs two separate towing regimes, and this page covers the city one: Chapter 12-2400, Towing and Immobilizing of Parked or Abandoned Vehicles, which controls tows ordered…

On-street parking in Philadelphia is governed by Title 12 of The Philadelphia Code and enforced by the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA), with restrictions ranging from posted…

Philadelphia bans leaving an inoperable, tireless, or unregistered vehicle parked on any street, with towing as abandoned after notice.

Philadelphia Code 12-919 bars parking a boat, motor home, truck camper or vending cart for more than fifteen days in any on-street space on a single block, and limits such vehicles to…

Philadelphia has no general citywide overnight on-street parking ban, but overnight parking is restricted on street-cleaning blocks, in Residential Permit Parking districts, and by the…

Philadelphia Code Section 12-1131 lets the Parking Authority designate reserved on-street electric vehicle parking spaces, but subsection (3)(d) now bars any new designations. Existing…

Philadelphia STR operators must collect and remit the 8.5% city Hotel Tax (Phila. Code Chapter 19-2400) plus the 6% Pennsylvania state hotel occupancy tax on every stay under 30 days…

Only the dwelling's primary resident, owner or a qualifying renter, may operate it as limited lodging under Philadelphia's licensing rule.

Philadelphia's short-term rental rule bars any Limited Lodging use that generates noise, vibration, glare, or odor unreasonably interfering with a neighbor's enjoyment of their own…

Philadelphia limits short-term rental licenses to primary residents. Under Philadelphia Code § 9-3909(2), only a primary resident of a dwelling unit may operate it as limited lodging…

Guests who stay more than 30 consecutive days in a Philadelphia home-share or hotel room become "permanent residents" and fall outside the city's hotel occupancy definition entirely.

Airbnb-style booking platforms need a City license and must verify each host's permit before listing a rental.

Philadelphia requires a zoning permit for any short-term rental plus, where a primary resident lives in the unit, a Limited Lodging Operator License from Licenses and Inspections…

Philadelphia caps limited lodging at no more than three unrelated persons (including owner and lodgers), limits any single visitor stay to 30 consecutive days, and caps a Limited…

Philadelphia Code Section 10-109 bars animal shelters from releasing a dog or cat for adoption, and animal retailers from selling one, unless a licensed veterinarian has sterilized the…

Philadelphia zoning files animal hospitals under "Boarding and Other Services," a use marked not-allowed in every commercial and residential district and permitted only by special…

Philadelphia generally prohibits keeping chickens, poultry, and livestock; farm animals (other than pigs) are allowed only on parcels of three or more acres, plus narrow exceptions…

Philadelphia exempts sterilized cats from its at-large and leash law, and lets Animal Control sterilize and release feral cats back to their colony.

Philadelphia pet shops cannot sell a dog or cat unless it comes from an animal care facility or rescue organization, and no dog or cat under eight weeks old may be sold.

Philadelphia's Animal chapter flatly bars capturing, wounding or killing any bird within the city, unless done in accordance with Title 6 of the Code. A first violation draws a fine of…

Philadelphia caps a residence at no more than twelve adult dogs or cats combined, of which no more than two dogs and two cats may be unsterilized, unless it is a registered kennel or…

Philadelphia Code Section 10-103(6) makes every groomer, along with veterinarians, animal shelters, retailers, and boarding kennels, a dog-licensing agent for the city's Animal Control…

Philadelphia has no breed-specific dog ban. Pennsylvania's Dog Law preempts breed-specific legislation, expressly barring any local ordinance from prohibiting or limiting a specific…

Dogs and most other animals off their owner's property must be on a leash no longer than six feet, with a person able to control them.

Philadelphia Code § 10-106 bans keeping wild animals, lions, wolves, venomous snakes, alligators, primates, anywhere except zoos, circuses, or licensed educational facilities, with…

Philadelphia Code Section 10-110 makes it unlawful to feed any pigeon in a public street, square, park, or other place of public resort. The ban is enforced under Chapter 10-100's…

Pennsylvania's Bee Law requires all beekeepers to register their colonies annually with the Department of Agriculture for inspection and disease control.

Philadelphia Code Section 10-403 sets numeric decibel ceilings measured at the property boundary: 3 dB above background near hospitals, schools, and other protected facilities; 3 dB…

Philadelphia bans motor vehicle sound exceeding 5 decibels above background level measured from 25 feet away, covering engine noise, mufflers, and car stereos, enforced through…

Philadelphia caps amplified music and other sound by decibels above background at the property boundary: 3 dB near hospitals/schools/houses of worship, 5 dB at the nearest home, and 10…

Philadelphia's Noise Code (Chapter 10-400) is mainly decibel-based rather than blanket quiet hours, but it bars amplified radios/players in the public right-of-way abutting homes from…

Philadelphia defines 'Regular Construction' as work between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday-Friday, or 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on weekends and holidays; during those hours the Noise Code's decibel…

Philadelphia's Noise Code prohibits more than 5 expressions of sound from one or more animals (such as dog barks) during any five-minute period when audible more than 50 feet from the…

Philadelphia's Noise Code expressly exempts aircraft and airport/railroad operations, and federal law preempts local control of aircraft noise; Philadelphia International Airport…

Every Philadelphia dwelling must have smoke alarms in each bedroom, outside sleeping areas, and on every story, powered by house wiring with battery backup or sealed 10-year batteries…

Pennsylvania's Act 43 of 2017 (the Fireworks Law) legalized consumer fireworks statewide and largely preempts local bans, but it imposes strict use limits that apply in Philadelphia…

True backyard ground fires (recreational fires and bonfires) are not freely allowed in Philadelphia. The Air Management Code Section 3-202 prohibits open fires except outdoor cooking…

Propane-fueled outdoor fireplaces are allowed in Philadelphia only under L&I Code Bulletin F-0602 R1 - propane units must burn only propane, stay at least 15 feet from a structure, and…

No Philadelphia-specific ordinance directly imposes wildland-style defensible-space or brush-clearance requirements; the dense urban setting means there is no fire-hazard-severity-zone…

Open burning is broadly prohibited in Philadelphia. The Air Management Code (Section 3-202) bans open fires except for outdoor home cooking (barbecue cooking), and the Fire Code…

Pennsylvania's Forest Fire Protection Law makes it a crime to set fire to any woodlot, forest, or wild land anywhere in the Commonwealth. Accidental ignition is a misdemeanor…

An accessory dwelling unit or the main house must stay owner-occupied, locked in by a recorded deed restriction before final occupancy.

Philadelphia exempts a small shed from permits only when it is 120 sq. ft. or less, no taller than 15 ft. (one story), located in the rear yard, and accessory to a one- or two-family…

Philadelphia permits accessory dwelling units (ADUs) only on lots in the RSA-5 or CMX-1 base zoning districts (and certain overlay districts), under Zoning Code Section 14-604(11). The…

Philadelphia does not have a standalone garage-conversion ordinance, but a detached garage is the prime candidate for an accessory dwelling unit under Zoning Code Section 14-604(11)…

Philadelphia has no permanent calendar or odd/even lawn-watering schedule. Outdoor irrigation is generally unrestricted, but during a Commonwealth drought emergency the Governor of…

Philadelphia Property Maintenance Code Section PM-302.4 bars weeds or plant growth over 10 inches and prohibits all noxious weeds. After a Notice of Violation, an owner who fails to…

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation has exclusive control of all street trees under Philadelphia Code Section 15-203. A private owner may trim, prune, or remove the street tree abutting…

Any new landscaping placed inside Philadelphia's mandatory 50-foot waterfront setback has to come from the native and non-invasive planting list in the Water Department's Stormwater…

Philadelphia zoning lets odorless composting equipment sit in required side and rear yards, but it must stay at least 2 feet off the property line.

Under Philadelphia Code Section 14-705(1)(e), heritage trees on a development lot may not be removed unless the applicant replaces them per the tree-replacement standards or obtains a…

Philadelphia zoning lets rainwater harvesting barrels encroach into required side and rear yards, but not within 2 feet of the lot line.

Every Philadelphia pool, spa, or hot tub must be restricted by one of three approved barrier options, the standard being a 48-inch-high enclosure with a self-closing, self-latching…

A Philadelphia building permit is required to install most in-ground and above-ground pools and spas; small prefabricated pools under 24 inches deep and under 5,000 gallons are exempt…

No zoning permit is needed for a fence at or below the Zoning Code limits; exceeding them requires a permit and a ZBA appeal. A building permit is required for non-masonry fences over…

Where a fence sits on top of a retaining wall in Philadelphia, the combined height of the exposed retaining wall plus the fence may not exceed the maximum height permitted for a fence…

Philadelphia restricts fences by opacity rather than by listing approved materials: front/street-side fences may be no more than 50% opaque. Barbed, razor, and concertina wire are…

On residentially zoned Philadelphia property, a fence between the street and the building may be no more than 4 feet tall and no more than 50% opaque; elsewhere on the lot it may reach…

Under Pennsylvania's 1905 Line Fence Act (29 P.S. § 41), adjoining owners of improved and occupied land must build and maintain equal halves of any boundary or division fence, and…

Philadelphia Zoning Code Section 14-604(10) recognizes only three home-occupation categories - home office, home business (professional), and home business (general) - and any home…

A home office under Section 14-604(10)(b)(.1) may not have any accessory sign at all. Other home occupations are limited under Table 14-904-1 to one sign per lot frontage, with strict…

A Philadelphia home business may have only 3 non-resident people present at once, including one employee, and professional home offices can't host visiting partners at all.

Philadelphia zoning treats a home daycare as a "Family Child Care" use: it must run inside a single- or two-family home, operated by the resident owner or an authorized tenant, and…

Pennsylvania never enacted a cottage food law, so there is no sales ceiling to stay under and no exemption to claim. Instead 3 Pa.C.S. § 5734(a) makes it the duty of every person…

Existing dwelling and sleeping units in Philadelphia must have carbon monoxide alarms whenever a hazard condition like a fuel-burning appliance or attached garage is present, under the…

Pennsylvania DHS regulates childcare centers under 55 Pa. Code Chapter 3270 (centers), 3280 (group homes), and 3290 (family homes). Philadelphia layers zoning approval, L&I building…

Philadelphia requires an electrical permit for any installation, alteration, replacement or repair of electrical or communication wiring and equipment in or on a structure or premises…

Before installing, enlarging, altering, repairing or replacing plumbing systems, Philadelphia owners need a plumbing permit from Licenses and Inspections under the city's adopted 2018…

Philadelphia requires every rented dwelling, rooming or housekeeping unit door to have a deadbolt lock with at least a 1-inch throw that opens without a key from inside.

Philadelphia does not mandate fire sprinklers in new one- and two-family homes. Builders must instead offer buyers the sprinkler option, with cost disclosures, before the purchase…

Philadelphia's Health Department can order landlords to eliminate lead-based paint hazards in rental units, and Licenses and Inspections revokes the rental license until the hazard is…

Philadelphia's Department of Licenses and Inspections runs permit work through staged inspections under Code Sec. A-402: preliminary, required stage inspections tied to each trade, and…

Every commercial and residential building permit in Philadelphia has to satisfy the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code as locally amended under Title 4's Subcode EC. Licenses…

Scaffolding must be approved under the building code and removed within 30 days of finishing the repair work it supports.

Pennsylvania requires annual elevator inspections under 34 Pa. Code Chapter 405. The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry has sole jurisdiction over elevator safety statewide…

Most interior and exterior renovations in Philadelphia require a building permit from the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I). Alteration and repair permit fees start at $200…

Philadelphia requires an operator's license from Licenses and Inspections for anyone working as a masseur or masseuse, with a $40 annual fee.

Philadelphia requires every tobacco retailer to hold a Tobacco Retailer Permit, one per fixed location, renewed annually by December 31.

Philadelphia's Zoning Code caps home occupations to six named categories: offices, licensed health practitioners, business support and financial services, individual music or tutoring…

Licensed towing companies need written property-owner permission and posted signage before towing an unauthorized vehicle from private lots, driveways, or common driveways in…

Philadelphia bars tattoo, piercing and body art shops from serving minors without parental consent and requires Board of Health-compliant sanitation and equipment standards to prevent…

Philadelphia zones adult cabarets, adult bookstores, adult theaters and similar businesses as "regulated uses" that must sit at least 1,000 feet from each other and 500 feet from…

Junk and secondhand-material dealers in Philadelphia must license, photo-ID sellers, and keep two years of transaction records.

Pawnbrokers need a separate L&I license per location, plus state licensure, and must follow strict hours and holding rules.

Philadelphia's zoning outdoor lighting standards don't apply to seasonal displays used fewer than 60 days a year, so holiday string lights and yard displays skip the shielding…

Outdoor advertising signs are barred within 660 feet of I-95 and I-76 ramps, with digital conversion allowed only in that same freeway-facing corridor.

Philadelphia limits digital billboard brightness, bans motion, and keeps new digital signs 500 feet from residential zones.

Window signs in Philadelphia can't cover more than 20% of a window or glass door's transparent area, per the zoning code.

Philadelphia's Zoning Code has no separate political-sign category: a campaign sign counts as a temporary sign, exempt from a zoning permit if it's 6 sq ft or less in a Residential…

New or substantially improved buildings in Philadelphia's flood hazard areas must be elevated above the base flood elevation, with an extra 18-inch freeboard margin built into the…

Philadelphia bars idling a parked, stopped or standing motor vehicle's engine for more than three minutes citywide, with a five-minute cap for buses and trucks at terminal points…

Philadelphia targets a 30 percent tree canopy citywide under Philly Tree Plan (2023) and Greenworks. Heat Response and Beat the Heat programs deploy cooling centers, cool roofs (Code…

Phila. Code §14-704(4) establishes flood protection standards. The L&I Commissioner serves as Floodplain Administrator per the National Flood Insurance Program (44 C.F.R.). Residential…

Any zoning or building permit for earth-disturbing development in Philadelphia requires Water Department approval of a stormwater management plan reducing water pollution risk.

Before Philadelphia's Department of Licenses and Inspections will issue a building permit for site clearing, grubbing or earth disturbance of 5,000 square feet or more, an approved…

Philadelphia limits how long a delivery truck's engine can idle at the curb, capping most vehicles at 3 minutes and trucks stopped along a route at 5 minutes.

Philadelphia bars mobile food vendors operating on privately owned lots from running any generator outside the vehicle unless it's permanently mounted on the truck, and bans amplified…

Philadelphia bans parking a vehicle with an audible anti-theft alarm that cannot auto-shutoff within five minutes; any alarm that actually sounds continuously past that mark is itself…

Philadelphia Code Section 10-403(2)(b) exempts air conditioning and refrigeration units from the general residential noise limit, but only if they stay within their own decibel…

Philadelphia bars, nightclubs, restaurants and similar special assembly occupancies may not create sound audible more than 100 feet from the property boundary, a rule that overrides…

City curbside pickup is set by Streets Department regulation, not the Code itself, and only eligible small properties qualify.

Every owner or occupant setting out trash for Philadelphia's Streets Department must separate designated recyclables, paper, plastic bottles, aluminum and steel cans, cardboard, glass…

Philadelphia treats illegal dumping as a serious offense, not a litter ticket: depositing trash, debris or municipal waste on a street, park, waterway, or someone else's property…

Philadelphia requires a license and radio-frequency medallion for every dumpster used to store refuse or recyclables, whether on private property or in the public right-of-way, before…

City code sets exact curbside windows for municipal waste and recycling: out before 7 a.m. on collection day, but not before 5 p.m. (winter) or 7 p.m. (summer) the prior evening.

City waste and recycling can only go to the curb within a fixed evening-to-morning window set by season, not whenever you like.

Philadelphia gives regular curbside bulk item pickup to eligible small buildings, condos and co-ops under Code § 10-717.1; dumping items like mattresses or appliances outside that…

Philadelphia Code Section 10-717 bars anyone from setting out Municipal Waste or Recyclable Materials for city pickup except under Streets Department collection regulations, and…

Pennsylvania Food Code 7 Pa. Code §46.504 requires every retail food establishment to employ at least one ANSI-accredited Certified Food Protection Manager. PDPH accepts ServSafe and…

Philadelphia landlords must give tenants a bed bug notice, keep a bed bug control plan, and disclose 120 days of infestation history before signing any lease.

Chain restaurants with 15+ locations under the same name must post calories and other nutrition facts next to every menu item.

Mobile medical providers, including needle-exchange and overdose-response teams, operating in the Seventh Councilmanic District may work only at 265 E. Lehigh Avenue or a…

Philadelphia's Property Maintenance Code requires every structure to stay free of insect and rodent infestation, with extermination duties split between owners and occupants depending…

Philadelphia Code § 10-609 makes it unlawful to urinate or defecate on any public right-of-way, transit platform or passageway, or private property open to the public, or on any…

Skateboarding on a public sidewalk is banned only within specific zones City Council has designated, not citywide: parts of Center City, stretches of Broad, South, Washington, Grays…

Drinking or carrying an open container of alcohol on Philadelphia streets, sidewalks, or unpermitted private property is illegal citywide.

Philadelphia Code § 10-611(4) bans aggressive sidewalk solicitation, blocking, touching, yelling, or intimidating conduct, plus soliciting within 8 feet of doorways or vending carts…

Loitering that blocks passage on transit platforms or private property open to the public is banned citywide under Philadelphia Code § 10-603.

Smoking a small amount of marijuana in any public space in Philadelphia is a civil violation carrying a $100 fine, separate from the lower $25 fine for simple possession or attempted…

Philadelphia's Clean Indoor Air Worker Protection Law reaches outdoors: smoking is banned within 20 feet of any entrance to a building where indoor smoking is already prohibited, and…

Philadelphia regulates reclaimed and other nonpotable water under Plumbing Code Chapter 13, covering collection, storage, treatment and distribution systems, including piping supplied…

Philadelphia Code Section 9-816 gives tenants an enforceable right to safe, sanitary living conditions and makes it unlawful for a landlord to delay repairs or breach the implied…

Every owner of a Philadelphia dwelling unit, rooming house, dormitory, hotel, or one- or two-family rental must hold a rental license from the Department of Licenses and Inspections…

Under 68 P.S. Section 250.501, a Pennsylvania landlord must serve a written notice to quit before eviction: 10 days for nonpayment of rent, and 15 days (term of one year or less) or 30…

Pennsylvania Landlord-Tenant Act establishes uniform eviction notice and procedure requirements applicable statewide, governing all residential tenancy terminations universally.

Pennsylvania's Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 caps a residential security deposit at two months' rent during the first year and one month's rent in the second and later years…

Pennsylvania's general adverse possession period is 21 years under 42 Pa.C.S. Section 5530. A shorter 10-year period applies under 42 Pa.C.S. Section 5527.1 to a parcel of one-half…

Philadelphia Code Section 10-303 bars minors from public places and businesses after 10 p.m. (ages 14-17) or 9:30 p.m. (13 and under) until 6 a.m., with exceptions for parental…

City parks and playgrounds are off-limits from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. under Philadelphia Code Section 15-601, with earlier closing times for tot playgrounds and an exemption for Fairmount…

Philadelphia has no citywide proactive rental inspection sweep. Instead, owners get a rental license and a Certificate of Rental Suitability tied to open code violations, not a…

Philadelphia bars landlords from retaliating against tenants who report Housing or Fire Code violations, and lets tenants file with the Fair Housing Commission.

Fences, porches, garages, bulk windows, cellar doors, curb posts and other fixtures may not encroach on Philadelphia sidewalks beyond fixed limits, and none may go up without a…

Property owners must pave, curb, and keep their abutting sidewalk in repair at their own expense under Philadelphia Code § 11-505.

Storing materials, racks, chargers or other fixtures on a Philadelphia street or sidewalk requires a Department of Streets or L&I permit.

Philadelphia's Zoning Code classifies community gardens, market farms, and orchards as a protected Urban Agriculture use category permitted as-of-right in every residential district.

Pennsylvania's Right to Farm Act (Act 133 of 1982, 3 P.S. §951 et seq.) protects established agricultural operations from local nuisance lawsuits and overly restrictive municipal…

City agencies cannot hold anyone past their release date on an ICE detainer or administrative warrant, and Philadelphia is barred from entering 287(g) agreements deputizing local…

Philadelphia parklets need a Pedestrian Enhancement Permit from Licenses & Inspections, valid one year, renewable twice, requiring abutting-owner support and a removable…

Philadelphia requires a written permit from the Department of Licenses and Inspections before any parade, procession, or assemblage may occupy, march, or proceed along a city street…

Street closures for block parties, festivals, and street fairs need a Streets Department permit filed six weeks ahead, and vendors selling merchandise or charging admission need a…

A permanent al fresco dining setup on a Philadelphia sidewalk needs an annual sidewalk café license from L&I, not a one-off event permit.

Closing a Philadelphia street for a block party requires a Streets Department permit and signatures from 75% of the block's households.

Events in Philadelphia parks require permits from Philadelphia Parks and Recreation. Gatherings of 50+ people need a Large Event and Festival permit. Pavilion reservations require a…

Philadelphia's Zoning Code lets developers in the RM-1, CMX-1, CMX-2, and CMX-2.5 districts build more dwelling units than the base zoning allows by providing affordable housing…

Large Philadelphia developments, over 100,000 sq. ft. or 100 units citywide, or 50,000 sq. ft./50 units near homes, must go through advisory Civic Design Review before L&I issues a…

Philadelphia taxes almost every business under one uniform BIRT rate structure, with only a narrow carve-out for regulated utilities and securities dealers.

Philadelphia taxes every paid parking transaction at 22.5% of the charge, collected by the lot or garage operator and remitted to the City.

Philadelphia taxes vacant lots at 10% of assessed value each year under the Real Estate Non-Utilization Tax, on top of regular property tax, unless the owner actively markets or fences…

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture maintains a Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine covering Philadelphia County under 7 Pa. Code chapter 110a. Tree-of-heaven, the lanternfly's primary…

Philadelphia's Health Code lets the Department of Public Health order removal of noxious plants such as ragweed or poison ivy once they grow on an uncultivated lot to the point of…

Federal Aviation Administration Part 107 rules and Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability govern drone flights near Philadelphia International Airport. Pilots must…

Commercial drone operators in Pennsylvania must hold an FAA Part 107 certificate and comply with state crimes under Act 78 of 2018 (18 Pa.C.S. Section 3505). That law preempts local…

Pennsylvania Act 78 of 2018 (18 Pa.C.S. Section 3505) criminalizes drone surveillance of a private place, menacing operation, and contraband delivery, and preempts most local drone…

Philadelphia zoning requires shielded, full-cut-off exterior lighting on commercial and multi-family sites so no light source or glare crosses onto residential property.

Digital billboards in Philadelphia must stay under 6,500 nits by day, 450 nits at night, and dim automatically to match ambient light.

Philadelphia zoning requires exterior lighting on new commercial, multifamily, and parking-lot installations to be shielded so the light source is not visible from residential…

Philadelphia's Fire Code bars charcoal burners, barbecue grills and other open-flame cooking devices from balconies and requires 10 feet of clearance from combustible construction…

The Philadelphia Historical Commission individually designates buildings, sites, structures, and objects under Code 14-1004(3). Designation places the property on the Philadelphia…

Philadelphia Code § 12-913(1)(a)(.11) bars stopping, standing or parking any vehicle within a designated bicycle lane, unless necessary to avoid a traffic conflict, protect safety, or…

Automated cameras issue $100 red-light tickets citywide and $100-$150 tiered speed tickets on Roosevelt Boulevard and rotating school zones, enforced by the Parking Authority under…

Pennsylvania draws a hard line between a golf cart and a neighborhood electric vehicle. Chapter 77A of the Vehicle Code makes it unlawful to operate a golf cart on any highway at all…

Philadelphia charges an 8.5% combined hotel excise tax on room rentals, Room Rental, Tourism and Marketing, and Hospitality Promotion taxes, and it applies to booking agents renting…

Film shoots, construction jobs, and other activity that blocks a Philadelphia street or sidewalk need a Department of Streets permit: sidewalk closures cap at 90 days, roadway lane…

Licensed Philadelphia street vendors, including mobile food trucks, may sell only from the curb lane and must stay at least 30 feet from any other vendor's truck or cart.

Center City sidewalk vendors need an annual Department of Licenses and Inspections license tied to one blockface, capped at one stand per licensee, with new locations awarded by public…

Anyone operating a mobile food truck, cart, or other street-vending business in Philadelphia needs an annual license from the Department of Licenses and Inspections. Philadelphia Code…

Medical marijuana dispensaries are zoned use-by-use in Philadelphia, barred within 500 feet of schools, parks, playgrounds, libraries, child care sites, and other dispensaries, and…

Pennsylvania Act 16 of 2016 governs cannabis licensing for medical use only; recreational sales remain illegal. The Department of Health awards a small set of grower and dispensary…

Medical marijuana dispensaries in Philadelphia must sit at least 500 feet from schools, parks, playgrounds, pools, libraries, rec centers, child care and other regulated uses.

Pennsylvania prohibits home cultivation of cannabis by patients, caregivers, and recreational users. The Medical Marijuana Act limits production to state-permitted growers, and…

Code officials condemn structures found unsafe, unfit for occupancy, or unlawful, and can block owners from collecting rent on unfit dwellings.

Philadelphia property owners, agents and tenants have six hours after snow stops falling to clear a 36-inch path on every sidewalk abutting the building, dropping to 12 inches only…

Owners of vacant lots in Philadelphia must hire a licensed pest control company for a yearly inspection and rat remediation, then file certification of the work with the city within…

Philadelphia's Zoning Code defines a "Heritage Tree" as any tree with a diameter breast height of 24 inches or more that belongs to a species on the Department of Parks and…

New developments over 5,000 sq. ft. must plant one street tree every 35 feet of frontage, spaced at least 15 feet apart, under Philadelphia's zoning code.

Philadelphia bans lying on a sidewalk outright and sitting for more than one hour in any two-hour period, but only inside City Council-designated zones, not citywide.

Philadelphia Code § 10-501(3) bars camping on any private property without the written permission of the owner or manager. "Camp" is defined broadly to cover sleeping, using a tent or…

Philadelphia requires a construction permit from Licenses and Inspections before installing or modifying any solar photovoltaic power system, under the city's Fire Code amendments to…

Anyone peddling, hawking, or selling house-to-house in Philadelphia must first get a Street Vendor license from Licenses and Inspections under City Code Section 9-203.

Homeowners can bar real estate solicitors from contacting them by joining the city's Do Not Solicit List.

Minimum front, side, and rear yard depths are fixed per zoning district in the Zoning Code's dimensional tables, from 35 ft. front yards in RSD-1 down to 7-9 ft. rear yards in…

Most Philadelphia rowhouse and detached-house zones cap building height at 38 feet, with lower limits in RSA-6 and RTA-2 districts.

Philadelphia's Zoning Code limits how much of a lot a building can occupy through the "Max. Occupied Area" standard in Table 14-701-1. Detached-house districts like RSA-1 and RSA-2 cap…

Philadelphia residents can report code violations through Philly311 by calling 311 (or 215-686-8686 from outside the city), using the Philly311 mobile app, submitting online at…

The most common code violations in Philadelphia include property maintenance issues (high weeds, trash, abandoned vehicles), unpermitted construction, illegal dumping, zoning…

Philadelphia requires any business running a video surveillance system to retain its footage unrecycled for at least thirty days, or longer if the Police Department sets a longer…

Pennsylvania is a shall-issue state requiring a License to Carry Firearms (LTCF) issued by the county sheriff for concealed carry or carry in a vehicle, with statewide rules under 18…

Pennsylvania law comprehensively preempts local regulation of firearms under 18 Pa.C.S. §6120. Cities and counties cannot regulate lawful ownership, possession, transfer, or…

Open carry of firearms is generally legal in Pennsylvania for adults 18 or older without a permit outside Philadelphia, but a License to Carry Firearms is required statewide for…

Under 18 Pa.C.S. Section 6106, carrying a firearm in a vehicle anywhere in Pennsylvania generally requires a valid License to Carry Firearms, with limited exceptions for unloaded…

Pennsylvania caps mini-casinos at ten Category 4 slot machine licenses statewide under 4 Pa.C.S. § 1305.1, each barred from sitting within 25 linear miles of an existing Category 1, 2…

Pennsylvania nonprofits can't run raffles, punchboards, or 50/50 drawings for charity until their own municipality's voters approve it in a referendum. Once approved, the county…

Pennsylvania's gambling code has no social-game or private-residence exception. 18 Pa.C.S. § 5513 makes it a first-degree misdemeanor to let people 'collect and assemble for the…

Pennsylvania channels all sports wagering through Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board certificates, and only an existing slot machine licensee can hold one under 4 Pa.C.S. § 13C11…

Under Pennsylvania's Uniform Planned Community Act, 68 Pa.C.S. § 5315, an association has an automatic lien on a unit for unpaid assessments and fines from the time they become due…

A Pennsylvania association's bylaws must call at least one owners' meeting a year, and notice has to go out not less than ten and not more than 60 days before it, stating the time, the…

Pennsylvania's American, Commonwealth and Military Flag Act overrides any HOA covenant that bans flags. Whatever the declaration says, an association may not stop a unit owner from…

Pennsylvania sets no dollar ceiling on a homeowners association fine. Under the Uniform Planned Community Act, 68 Pa.C.S. § 5302(a)(11), an association may levy "reasonable fines" for…

A Pennsylvania planned community association gets a lien on a lot the moment an assessment or fine falls due, and 68 Pa.C.S. § 5315(a) lets it foreclose that lien in a like manner as a…

Sobriety checkpoints are lawful in Pennsylvania, and the authority is a single clause in 75 Pa.C.S. § 6308(b) permitting an officer to stop a vehicle whenever he is engaged in a…

Pennsylvania is an all-party consent state, and 18 Pa.C.S. § 5703 grades an intentional interception of an oral communication as a felony of the third degree, one of the harshest…

Pennsylvania has never enacted a general stop-and-identify statute, so a person stopped on the street in this Commonwealth has no statutory duty to state a name or produce…

Pennsylvania does not require an officer to obtain written consent before searching a car, and it does not require a warning that you may refuse. Since 5 December 2025 it does require…

Pennsylvania Act 112 of 2019 raised the minimum age to purchase tobacco and e-cigarettes to 21, aligning with the federal Tobacco 21 law (Dec 2019). The state law covers all tobacco…

Pennsylvania does not currently impose a statewide ban on flavored tobacco or menthol cigarettes, though federal FDA marketing rules restrict which flavored vape products and…

Pennsylvania allows a passenger vehicle or light truck exactly one pair of approved auxiliary driving lamps and fog lamps, mounted at least 20 inches apart from center to center and no…

Pennsylvania has never written a dash cam allowance into the Vehicle Code. 75 Pa.C.S. § 4524(a) bars nontransparent material on the front windshield that materially obstructs the…

Lane splitting is expressly illegal in Pennsylvania. Section 3523(c) of the Vehicle Code says no person shall operate a motorcycle between lanes of traffic or between adjacent lines or…

Pennsylvania flatly prohibits a tinted registration plate cover. Section 1332(b)(5) of the Vehicle Code makes it unlawful to display a plate that "has a tinted plate cover," with no…

A radar detector is legal in a private passenger vehicle in Pennsylvania. The full text of Title 75, the Vehicle Code, contains no occurrence of the word "detector" at all, and the…

Studded snow tires are legal in Pennsylvania only between November 1 and April 15 of the following year, and the studs may project no more than two thirty-seconds of an inch beyond the…

Pennsylvania sets no separate front-and-rear tint percentages the way most states do. 75 Pa.C.S. § 4524(e)(1) simply bars driving with any sun screening device that does not permit a…